The Orissa Thermal Power Corporation Ltd (OTPCL), a 50:50 joint venture between state owned PSUs- Orissa Mining Corporation (OMC) and Orissa Hydro Power Corporation (OHPC), has decided to relocate its 2000 MW project from Rengali to Kamakhyanagar in Dhenkanal district due to objections of Union ministry of environment and forests (MoEF).
MoEF, in August this year, had declared the Kaniha coal block falling under the project site as a 'No-Go area'. Following this, land acquisition for the Rs 10,000-crore project was held up at Rengali. The project needed about 2000 acres of land.
"The assessment of land needed for the project is currently being done and the land acquisition process is set to begin by the end of December this year. Power production from this 2000 MW plant is expected to take off from 2015-16”, Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, minister of state for energy, Orissa government said in response to a query in the state assembly.
The decision to take up the 2000 MW power project was taken up by the state government in June 2006.
Thereafter, the board of directors of OMC and OHPC had agreed to form a joint venture company on January 29, 2007. No coal block has been allotted by the Centre to OTPC for the thermal power project.
However, it has been decided to use the Biatarani West coal block alloted to OHPC and Mandakini-B coal block alloted to OMC for the project.